Where were the Lewis chessmen found?

The precise findspot of these famous chesspieces seems to have been a beach at Uig in Lewis, where they may have been placed in a small, drystone chamber to keep them safe.

What did the find consist of?

The 93 gaming pieces known to us today include 78 chessmen, 14 tables-men and a buckle to secure a bag.

The chesspieces consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales' teeth in the form of seated kings and queens, bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks.

The hoard is likely to be made up of four chess sets. Eleven of the chessmen are owned by National Museums Scotland and the remaining 82 reside at the British Museum.

Where do the chessmen come from?

Believed to be Scandinavian in origin, the chessmen were probably made in Trondheim in Norway during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. At that time, the area in which the chessmen were buried was part of the Kingdom of Norway, not Scotland. It is possible that the chessmen belonged to a merchant travelling from Norway to Ireland, and it seems likely that they were buried for safe keeping en route.

Fact or fiction?

The Lewis Chessmen have fascinated visitors and art historians alike and there are several different and colourful theories about how the hoard came to be hidden at Uig.